The invention relates generally to toxic or noxious fume absorbtion systems and more particularly, to a toxic fume absorber for use in a medical laboratory.
The generation of toxic and/or noxious fumes in a histo-pathology laboratory is a serious problem for both histotechnologists and pathologists. Many areas of the clinical laboratory are responsible for producing various noxious or toxic fumes although the histology laboratory is the greatest single source of such fumes. Specific procedures and/or processes normally carried out in the histology laboratory that contribute to fume generation include grossing, specimen processing, staining, coverslipping and specimen storage. Recent investigations by both private and governmental agencies indicate that some of the processing solutions used in these operations are suspected carcinogens.
Previous attempts to remove toxic fumes from this laboratory environment have involved the use of overhead hoods which draw large volumes of air upwardly and out of the area surrounding the source of toxic fumes. A principal drawback of this type of arrangement lies in the drawing-off of large volumes of air from the area surrounding the source of toxic fumes. Since large volumes and flow rates are involved, absorbtive filters such as an activated charcoal filter are relatively ineffective for absorbing the fumes drawn into the hood. The alternative to an absorbtive system is to vent the air and fumes drawn into the hood from the controlled atmosphere contained in the laboratory. However, with today's increasing energy costs, this presents the severe disadvantage of replacing the heated or cooled air thus exhausted from the controlled environment. It is not uncommon for such hoods to have a 2,500 cubic feet per minute (CFM) capacity and in some environments it can cost approximately $1.00 per CFM per year for energy to replace the exhausted air. Furthermore, with such notorious fume producing devices as an automated slide stainer, even with a 2,500 CFM hood disposed approximately one foot above the stainer only a 30-35% toxic fume capture rate is achieved.
Vessels are found in the prior art that include an exhaust manifold integrally formed therewith. In other cases the exhaust manifold is particularly adapted for use with a specific vessel and the manifold encompasses the vessel, establishing a peripheral opening disposed adjacent the lip of the vessel through which fumes rising from the vessel are drawn. Other devices are found employing specially adapted manifolds incorporated in the device for exhausting toxic fumes from the device. However, none of these devices are particularly adapted for solving the problem of venting toxic fumes in the environment of a histology laboratory and in particular, none of them are directed to a retrofit solution to the problem of absorbing toxic fumes generated in an automated stainer.